Mail-bag catcher.



PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906.

J. G. ELLIFF, MAIL BAG GATGHER.

APPLICATION nun JUNE 30, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

[VENTOR cZC. EZdflfi Altorneys No 812,835. PATENTED-FEB= 20, 1906 J" O. ELLIPPU I MAIL BAG GATGHER.

APPLICATION 211.1111 JUNE 30, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SEER?! 2 Eli/ [NVENTOR Alfornejg UNITED STATES JOSIAH C. ELLIFF, OF I/VILLS POINT, TEXAS.

IVIAI L-BAG CATCH ER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Application filed June 30,1905. Serial No. 267,759.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OSIAH O. ELLIFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wills Point, in the county of Van Zandt, State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railway mail service, and more particularly to bag-catchers, and has for its object to provide a catcher which will remove a bag from a supportingcrane and transfer it automatically into the mail-car while the train is in motion.

Another object is to provide a catcher of this kind which will be extremely simple and which may be manufactured at a low figure, a further object being to provide a catcher which may be used at either side of the car and which will operate when the car is traveling in either direction.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following specification,which describes an embodiment of the present in vention.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a transverse section of a car provided with the present invention, the arm being in inoperative position. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the catcher, the arm being set in operative position. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the attaching-plate, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2 in the plane of the trigger. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the car, showing the arm raised into inoperative position. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the bag-supporting crane and the arm in the act of receiving the bag from the crane. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of the end of the arm and the collar.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a car 5, having oppositely-disposed doors 6 and 7 in its side walls. Secured to the floor of the car between the doors and intermediate of the side walls there is an attaching-plate 8, which extends transversely of the car and which has upwardly-extending ears 9 at its opposite sides, these ears having the ends of a rod 1.0 engaged therein, which extends longitudinally of the car, and engaged with this rod there is a strong helical spring 11, having one of its ends secured to the attaching-plate, as shown at 12. The other end of the spring extends normally vertically and has secured thereto the inner end of an arm 13, which is thus held by the spring yield ably in vertical position within the car, and it will be understood that the arm may be moved downwardly into horizontal position in either direction and is of a length to extend out of either of the doors 6 and 7. A collar 14 is mounted upon the arm for movement longitudinally thereof, and engaged in the collar there is a set-screw 15, adapted for operation to impinge against the arm to hold the collar at different points of its movement thereupon, and this collar has a peripheral groove 16, in which there is revolubly mounted a band 17, having a bag-receiving hook 18, swiveled at the end of its shank therein. The hook is thus movable to bring its bill into dif ferent positions with respect to the arm and is also shiftable to extend in different directions radially of the arm.

Latches 19 are mounted upon the attaching-plate 8 at opposite sides of therod 10 and include triggers 20, pivoted for movement into and out of engagement with the arm 13 when the latter is in horizontal position. These triggers include central portions 2 1, pivoted between upwardly-extending ears 22 and having lips 23 at their upper end for engagement over the arm 13 and having laterally-extending weighted feet 24 below their pivot-points extending oppositely to the lips, these weighted feet holding the triggers normally out of operative position. It will thus be seen that when the arm 13 is engaged beneath the lip 23 of one of the triggers the friction of the engaging portions holds the trigger in operative position, and the arm is thus held extending horizontally and in its operative position. A bag-supporting crane 25 is used in connection with the present invention and has spring bag-receiving clips 26, these clips being adapted for the reception of the attaching-ring 27 of the bag.

The arrangement is such that as the train passes the crane 25 the hook 18 engages the ring 27 and the bag is disengaged from the clip 26. The operation of disengaging the bag causes the arm 13 to be depressed slightly, which permits the trigger 20 to move out of operative position, and the spring then moves the arm and the bag into the car. From the above-described arrangement it will be seen that the arm may be moved to extend at either side of the car, and by reason of the arrangement of the collar 14 adjustments may be made to suit different conditions.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with a car having oppositely-disposed doors, of an arm pivoted Within the car for movement to extend outwardly through either of the doors, means for holding the arm yieldablywithin the car, means for holding the arm in its outwardly-proj ected position and a bag-receiving device carried by the outer end of the arm.

2. The combination with a car having oppositely-disposed doors, of an arm pivoted with in the car for movement into position to project outwardly through either of the doors, means for holding the arm yieldably within the car, means for holding the arm in its out- Wardly-projected position and a bag-receiving hook carried by the arm, said hook extending radially of the arm and being movable to extend in different directions, said hook being also adjustable longitudinally of the arm and being movable to change the angle of its bill to the arm.

3. A mail-catcher comprising an attaching-plate, spaced ears carried by the attaching-plate, a rod engaged in the ears, a helical spring engaged with the rod and secured at one end to the plate, an arm carried by the other end of the spring, said spring being movable to hold the arm extending upwardly from the plate, a trigger carried by the plate, said aim being movable downwardly against the action of the spring for engagement with the trigger, said spring being arranged to hold the arm in frictional engagement with the trigger to hold the latter in operative po sition, a weight carried by the trigger and ar ranged to move the latter into inoperative position when said friction is removed and a bag-receiving device carried by the arm.

tend upwardly from the plate, means for hold-' ing the arm yieldably in its upwardly-extending position and latches carried by'the plate at opposite sides of the arm and arranged for engagement with the arm to hold the latter parallel with the plate.

6. In a mail-bag catcher the combination with a plate, of an arm pivoted upon -the plate for movement to extend in opposite directions laterally or to extend upwardly from the plate, means for holding the arm yieldably in its upwardly-extending position and means for holding the rod in its laterally-extending positions against the action of the first-named holding means, said arm being adapted for frictional engagement of the second-named holding means to hold said holding means inoperative position and being adapted for movement under pressure applied to its outer end to permit of movement of the second-named holding means into-inoperative position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSIAH O. ELLIFF. Witnesses:

W. P. WILLIAMS, J. P. CooN. 

